Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

Book info:

Title:  Fawkes
Author:  Nadine Brandes
Genre:  YA historical fiction/fantasy
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson
Release Date:  July 10th, 2018
Source: Purchased physical copy of book
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis:

Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.

Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared, but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.

But what if death finds him first?

Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.

The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.

The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

BOOK LINKS

•      Goodreads
•      Amazon
•      Barnes & Noble
•      Book Depository
•      Kobo
•      IndieBound

• iBooks

My Review:
I had been hearing about this book around the blogosphere all summer, and noticed when it showed up on the shelves in the bookstore where I work. Then one night as I was working, the author showed up in my store to see her books on the shelves, as well as maybe autograph them for us.  It was so cool to meet her, and of course since she was there, I had to buy a book right away to get autographed.  It was a couple weeks after that before I was able to finally pick it up and read it, but it was definitely one that grabbed me from the get-go, and was a wonderfully unique and creative rewriting of a historical time and figure.  The author kept me on my toes throughout most of the book with not knowing if Thomas was on the right side in working with his father and the Keepers, or if the Igniters, the ones who wanted people to be able to open up to the White Light when it spoke to them, were the ones we should be rooting for.  With the fact that Martin Luther was mentioned in the story, and that I grew up in a Lutheran church school, when he was mentioned, I immediately was pretty sure which side I needed to be rooting for, no matter what that did to my views of the characters as they were and as they related to Thomas.  

This is the kind of story that always weaves just enough historical details within, without just being the actual history you might read in a textbook, and having obvious changes - magical light and masks, duh - that makes me want to learn more about the time period and people features in the story. Because while I'd heard of Guy Fawkes, I was immediately more interested in learning about his true contribution and involvement in that time period.  I loved that the author touched on the history and how she took her own liberties for her story with it in the end section of the book.  I can say that this is now an author I look forward to reading more from, and that she will be on my radar for future books.

About the Author:

Nadine Brandes once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the author of the award-winning Out of Time Series and her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When she's not busy writing novels about bold living, she's adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. She and her Auror husband plan to live in a Tiny House on wheels. Current mission: paint the world in shalom.

Website -  Goodreads - Twitter - Instagram - Facebook

Giveaway:

•      Prize: 1 copy of FAWKES by Nadine Brandes

•      INT!!!

•      Starts: 8/19

•      Ends:  9/6

   
--> a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the rest of the tour HERE. 

Blog Tour with Giveaway: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber

Book info:

Title:  The Evaporation of Sofi Snow  
Author:  Mary Weber
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson
Release Date:   June 6th, 2017
Genre:  YA Science fiction, dystopia


Synopsis:
 

Ever since the Delonese ice-planet arrived eleven years ago, Sofi's dreams have been vivid. Alien. In a system where Earth's corporations rule in place of governments and the humanoid race orbiting the moon are allies, her only constant has been her younger brother, Shilo. As an online gamer, Sofi battles behind the scenes of Earth's Fantasy Fighting arena where Shilo is forced to compete in a mix of real and virtual blood sport. But when a bomb takes out a quarter of the arena, Sofi's the only one who believes Shilo survived. She has dreams of him. And she's convinced he's been taken to the ice-planet.

Except no one but ambassadors are allowed there.

For Miguel, Earth's charming young playboy, the games are of a different sort. As Ambassador to the Delonese, his career has been built on trading secrets and seduction. Until the Fantasy Fight's bomb goes off. Now the tables have turned and he's a target for blackmail. The game is simple: Help the blackmailers, or lose more than anyone can fathom, or Earth can afford.

BOOK LINKS

•      Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32969235-the-evaporation-of-sofi-snow

•      Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Evaporation-Sofi-Snow-Mary-Weber/dp/0718080904

•      Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Evaporation-Sofi-Snow/9780718080907

•      Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-evaporation-of-sofi-snow-mary-weber/1125138297?ean=9780718080907

•      Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-evaporation-of-sofi-snow

•      IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780718080907

TOUR SCHEDULE

Blog tour schedule link: http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2017/11/tour-schedule-evaporation-of-sofi-snow.html

About the Author:

Mary Weber is the multiple-award-winning author of the bestselling young adult Storm Siren Trilogy, and The Evaporation of Sofi Snow series (all by HarperCollins). An avid high school, middle school, and conference speaker, Mary's passion is helping others find their voice amid a world that often feels too loud. When she's not plotting adventures involving tough girls who frequently take over the world, Mary sings 80's hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Comic-Con, and the ocean.

Mary's debut, Storm Siren, was featured in the Scholastic School Book Fairs, and her novels have been endorsed by bestselling authors Marissa Meyer, Jay Asher, Wendy Higgins, CJ Redwine, and Jonathan Maberry.

You can also find Mary's fun interviews in the paperback of Marissa Meyer's NYT bestselling, CRESS, and in Jay Asher's 13 REASONS WHY movie tie-in edition. Most recently, you can see her and her family as extras in the NETFLIX Original Series, 13 REASONS WHY.

She gets nerdy at @maryweber.com, FACEBOOK , INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, and GOODREADS. Come say hi!!

 

Giveaway:

•      Prize: Everything in the picture— Backpack, earbuds, hardcover copy of the book

•      US/Canada only

•      Starts: 12/11

•      Ends: 12/29

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Storm (Swipe #3) by Evan Angler

Thanks to Thomas Nelson publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an e-galley of this, even though it was actually published earlier this year.  This was my #8 for my 2nd Annual September is for Sequels Challenge, meaning that even if I finish the book I'm currently reading, I won't have read any more sequels than I did last year.  Oh well, maybe my challenge goal will just stay at 8 books a year, and if it does more than that, great, if not, then at least I got some sequels read that might otherwise have waited until even later.
Once again I've enjoyed the story, and I really see more and more how it is going into the "end times" and what the mark will mean.  The title of the series is Swipe, meaning that people "swipe" their mark in order to pay for things, have jobs, etc.  This is all based on the biblical story of the mark of  Satan.  Now I don't remember a lot about the missing people in the first two books, I'll have to go back and read my reviews from the them, but we do hear about the people that disappeared.  I was a huge fan of the Left Behind series, and so this fell right into that same interest.  I do like how this story does it differently though.  In this story we get the plague, but again, it is quite a different story than other tellings of the end times.  I like the way the plague happens.  And how the guy that is pretty much being set up to be the Anti-Christ, even uses what happens with that to build his own support.  While we do get a bit of the religion in this, it is not as in your face as it was in the Left Behind series.  And I think for a kids' book, that is a good thing.
Logan had run into his sister in the last book, and now we have to decide is she really on his side, or not.  She continues to do things that would seem she is now really on the side of the Marked, but there are other things that seem as if she is looking out for her brother.  One of the Dust is still stuck there with Lily, and she is trying to break him to become one of the soldiers.  A drought has been going on, and we meet some new characters in the town where the "weather mill" is.  This town and the weather mill will become a major turning point in the story.  In more ways than one.  Erin, thought to be a traitor by Logan before, is now suffering from the plague, and Logan and the others have taken her to meet the doctor who invented the virus, the one that was supposed to take out the markless, but instead is affecting the Marked, like Erin.  They learn of sabotage, and must figure out how to save Erin hopefully, as well as to keep the plague from actually getting out there and making everyone sick.  We also find out that Evan Angler's book Swipe, is being published and it is found in a library.  People are reading it, and it is giving people clues to what Logan is doing, even in a way that could be used to incriminate him when the Anti-Christ needs it.
Wow, this is really a mess of a review I think.  I think maybe I need to get back to doing reviews the way I did before someone commented on them saying I was spoiling.  A great story, but now I am of course very eager to read the next story!

Waiting on Wednesday: Storm (Swipe #3) by Evan Angler

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting. This week I've chosen the 3rd book in a series.  The publishing date is this coming May, so not really that long of a wait compared to some!  I was able to read the first two from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing, so it would be cool if this one shows up there too!  The first book was Swipe, and the second one was Sneak.  And here is the blurb from Goodreads.com:  

In a future United States under the power of a charismatic leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark allows citizen to shop, go to school, and even get medical care--without it, you are on your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.

Logan Langly went in to get his Mark, but he backed out at the last minute. Ever since, he's been on the run from government agents and on a quest to find his sister Lily, who disappeared when she went to get her Mark five years earlier. His journey leads him to befriend the Dust, a vast network of Markless individuals who dissent against the iron-grip rule of the government. Along the way to the capital to find Lily, the Dust receive some startling information from the Markless community, opening their eyes to the message of Christianity and warning that humanity is now entering the End of Days.

In "Storm," Logan and his friends are the leaders of the Markless revolution. But while some Markless are fighting Chancellor Cylis' army, the Dust is busy trying to find a cure for a horrible epidemic sweeping through the Marked. And it's difficult for them to know who to trust, especially when they aren't sure if Logan's sister Lily, one of the commanders in Cylis' army, is on their side or not. And all across the nation--and the world--the weather is become less stable, and a storm is brewing that bigger than any of them could have ever imagined....

Not sure if this is a final book in a trilogy, or if this will be a longer series.  As it reminds me of the Left Behind series, maybe this is also intended to have several books.  I'm okay with that!

So what books are you eagerly awaiting this week?  And while you're here, make sure to enter my 1000 Follower Giveaway that ends tomorrow at midnight!

Sneak (Swipe #2) by Evan Angler

I have to say thank you to both Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for allowing me to read this e-galley.  This book actually came out last September, so when I saw it was still available on Netgalley a couple months ago, I jumped at the chance to read it, the same way I had read the first one in the series, Swipe.  I actually think I may have liked this book a bit better than the first.  Which as I've commented  before, the 2nd book in a series often seems like just a bridge to the 3rd book, and I usually am not as happy with.  But I feel like this one, although still kind of an "on the road" book, as Logan and the rest of the Dust are on a search to find Logan's sister Lily, really had a lot to it.
Logan goes to try to find her on his own at first, as he kind of got the rest of the markless kicked out of where they'd been staying, and made their lives harder.  So he figures they won't be happy to see him.  And so because of this he tries to make sure he goes unknown to the smaller groups.  He gets to one group and is turned in.  It is because of this that he is almost caught.  His old friend Erin, who is the daughter of one of the high ranking officials, is glad to hear of where he is, and she wants to help them catch him and convince him to come back and get marked.  The next place that Logan gets to, with the help of his friend Hailey, is where Erin and her father catch up with him.  Unfortunately, one of the people that has been helping them is killed, and Logan just sees Erin as a traitor now.
Erin still really just wants to get her whole family back together, and it comes true when her father gets demoted for all the failures he's had in capturing Logan and the other kids and markless.  Turns out the Markless have their own way of communication.  They've begun using what is an extremely old form of technology, radio, including foxhole radios.  I really enjoyed reading about this, as I'd had several students create one this school year for one of their projects.
Logan and The Dust are looking for Acheron, the prison where the markless are taken.  Where Logan was told at the end of the first book that his sister had been taken.  So he is on a mission to rescue her and bring her out safely.  Things may not be quite as they seem though.  The prison is well hidden, and the stories of how people are punished there are many and seemingly far fetched.  Or are they?
You'll have to read on to find out.  And as usual, we're left hanging, waiting for the next book to come out.  We do get more with the religious part of the mark in this book.  And I'm glad to see it done the way it is.  I love how much more realistic this seems to me than the Left Behind series seemed.  Not that I didn't love those books as well, this just seems more realistic.  And at times, some of it seems to be getting closer and closer to happening.

Swipe by Evan Angler

I want to say thank you to both Netgalley and Thomas Nelson publishing for letting me read an egalley of this book.  This was a very good story, I liked all the technology and the back story, and the characters were good too.  However, I picked this book to read because I am a huge fan of the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.  I mean I knew about the "mark" and all that before I read the Left Behind series, but since that book it has really kind of been something in the back of my mind.  And I guess that series kind of has shaped my beliefs and thoughts on those stories from Revelations, so much though that events in the past four or five years even reminded me so much of things from the book that I began to wonder if we were in those times.  :-)  Now, I was a bit confused with this story.  Our main character is Logan, and he is nervous about getting the mark because when his sister went to get it, something went wrong and she died.  And ever since then he has felt very paranoid that he is being watched.  The other main character is Erin who has just had to move away from her big city life because her father must go to the small town that Logan lives in, because there is a big case dealing with someone named Peck.  Erin looks through some boxes her father left sitting out at their new place, and becomes involved because she figures the sooner this case is solved, the sooner she can move back to her home and her family can go back to normal.  Turns out Logan isn't just paranoid, he is being watched, and it is by the group that Erin's father is trying to catch.
The story was really good as I said at the beginning of this review.  However, what I don't understand is how the people not getting the mark are acting.  Yes, I understand that to the main society they are thought to be "losers" and the scum of the Earth. That is the whole story.  But really there is really only one or two parts that even allude to the mark having anything to do with religion and God.  I did like that the "warehouse" that Peck was staying in was so obviously a church, and that the kids didn't really know what it was due to how the world had changed while they grew up.
But this is obviously going to be a part of a series, so I'm eager to read on and see when we get to the point that we pull these things into the story.  I guess I just assumed that a book from this publisher would be more religious, but maybe that is the point of not putting it so in your face, so that more kids will read it.  I do know I will recommend it to the kids who liked the Left Behind series for kids!